Restaurant news: South Main grows, Sundance gets Funky and Waterside goes coastal
July 5,2018
Star-Telegram news article by Celestina Blok
Hecho coming to hot South Main Street
It will be well into fall before Hecho – a chuck wagon-inspired Fort Worth food trailer – opens its brick-and-mortar location on smoking hot South Main Street. (Other upcoming establishments in the same area include Tinie’s Mexican Rotisserie from the folks at TacoHeads, Four Sisters Vietnamese restaurant and Tarantula Tiki Lounge.) But look for the restaurant’s outdoor patio bar to start slinging cocktails by late July. Owner Michael Shaddox says the 4 Eleven – a restored warehouse-turned mixed-use development – provided the perfect spot for his West Texas-themed venture, one that will serve Southwestern cuisine paired with libations like frozen sangria, margaritas and even boozy “pop-tails” thanks to a partnership with neighboring Alchemy Pops. A very limited food menu will be available when the bar opens, with tasty bites like flat iron steak with chimichurri sauce, chipotle chicken lettuce wraps, ceviche, chorizo and pepperjack mac and cheese, and jumbo seared scallops with sofrito sauce. Shaddox says he was lucky to team with big names for the design, contracting and build out, including Tom Struhs and Elizabeth Falconer, and architect Ken Schaumberg. (If you’ve ever visited the famed Hotel Paisano in Marfa, expect Hecho’s interior to look fairly similar.) Shaddox will use the kitchen at Locavore, a new shared commercial kitchen space, until his own restaurant is ready.
411 South Main Street, Fort Worth, 682-200-9776, https://hecho.catering
FunkyTown Donuts preps for Sundance Square debut
Sundance Square is about to get a whole lot sweeter when FunkyTown Donuts opens its splashy new location there this month. The rotating menu will be the same as the original 8th Avenue location, but patrons will now be able to wash down their doughnuts with a cold brew. “We’ll have four taps with local craft beer, as well as a wine selection, with sparkling, of course,” says Angie Moors, who owns the business with her husband Brandon. There will also be more options for coffee, including Avoca cold brew, lattes and cappuccinos, and hours will be longer, too. The shop will be open daily at 7 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Sunday until 6 p.m. FunkyTown fanatics can expect a mid-month opening.
132 East 4th Street, Fort Worth, www.funkytowndonuts.com
Brunch game is strong at Del Frisco’s Grille
Sunday brunching is a sport, and the game just got more interesting thanks to Del Frisco’s Grille. A whopping 10 new decadent dishes have been added to the Sundance Square restaurant’s menu. (There’s a location in Southlake, too). Standouts include a pan of cinnamon rolls doused in bourbon-espresso caramel sauce, lemon ricotta pancakes, a smoked salmon tower served with bagels and “everything” caper cream cheese, and short rib hash drizzled with rich bordelaise and béarnaise sauces. There are also new cocktails that purposely cater to every weakness. Think “crack coffee” spiced with chai and cinnamon whipped cream, watermelon frozé, and a Spanish gin and tonic that’s chilled by a juniper berry-infused ice cube. Brunch is served on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
154 East Third Street, Fort Worth 817-887-9900
1200 East Southlake Boulevard, Southlake, 817-410-3777 www.delfriscosgrille.com
Café 203 commemorates 100 days in business with freebies
In case you missed it: The folks from Reata opened a fast-casual downtown café on the second floor of the historic Fire Station No. 1 building in Sundance Square – exactly 100 days ago come Tuesday, July 10. That’s cause for a centennial celebration, they say. Customers can visit next week for daily giveaways, including 100 triple chocolate cookies on Monday, 100 iced drinks on Tuesday, 100 Reata blend coffees on Wednesday, 100 cinnamon rolls on Thursday, and 100 breakfast tacos on Friday (only until 10:45 a.m.). The busy breakfast and lunch spot has become popular among downtown workers for sandwiches like the pecan-smoked brisket Reuben, pimento cheese and fried green tomato panini, and the Chicago roll with Italian pickled vegetables. Grab a table in the second floor lobby area, or take items to go and sit under the giant umbrellas in Sundance Square.
215 Commerce Street, Fort Worth, 817-782-9004, www.203cafe.com
Waterside goes coastal
A taste of Port Aransas with a little bit of Louisiana Gulf Coast can be found at Tricky Fish, a coastal and Cajun-inspired concept set to open in the Waterside development this month. Owned by Addison-based Razzoo’s, the casual-yet-polished eatery will offer Gulf oysters, lemon pepper shrimp tacos, and something called “kitchen sink gumbo” made with shrimp, fish and chicken. There’ll be a full bar, patio and brunch menu, too. New Orleans enthusiasts will appreciate the nod to Crescent City cuisine in the form of praline pancakes and fried green tomatoes topped with remoulade and blackened shrimp. The Waterside location is the second for the concept, and the original opened in Richardson last fall.
5917 Convair Drive, Fort Worth, www.tricky-fish.com
Hibachi coming to Euless
Consider Euless an up-and-coming restaurant hot spot thanks to the new Glade Parks development, which is already home to a new Hopdoddy burger and beer joint and pet-friendly Lazy Dog restaurant and bar. Add Imperial Hibachi to the lineup, which set to open sometime this month. Touted as an upscale Asian Fusion restaurant serving hibachi dishes and sushi, the 5,000 square-foot location will be the concept’s first location. Look for a late July opening.
1320 Chisholm Trail, Euless
Tasty must-haves for summer
Summertime reality check: it’s sweltering outside, the kids are home from school and everyone is hungry. Convenience is essential when it comes to living your best life this summer. Here are three ways to take the edge off for everyone.
▪ Smoothies can often save the day, be it for a quick meal or means of sneaking veggies and protein into little ones’ tummies. Now Barney Butter has launched the first-ever powdered almond butter in the country, good for those with peanut allergies or those who simply prefer the taste and health benefits of almonds. Available at retailers nationwide this month ($9.99 for an 8-ounce jar), the powder is also Paleo-certified and perfect for shaking atop oats, blending in smoothies and beverages, or baking into almost anything.
▪ Add Freshly to the long list of subscription-based meal kits now available, but here’s the difference: The meals are fully-prepared and ready to eat in only three minutes. The brand became available in Fort Worth last year, but has just added new summer menu items. Think barbecue pulled pork with squash cakes and carrots, golden veggie beet bowls, shrimp and andouille pasta, and Southern-style almond chicken with baked apple and zucchini-corn muffins. The meals are all gluten-free, junk-free and available without any subscription commitments – or even turning on the stove.
▪ Fill summer’s red wine void with one that’s meant to be chilled. The first vintage of Bonterra Organic Vineyards’ Young Red – a Grenache-based, ruby-hued sipper – is now ready to enjoy. It’s a rosy and refreshing step away from the pink drinks (one can only “rosé all day” so long), but not too close to heavier, barbecue reds. Find it now at retailers like Tom Thumb, Whole Foods Market, Spec’s Liquor and Central Market ($16).
Locations Mentioned: 203 Café, Del Frisco's Grille, FunkyTown Donuts & Drafts, Sundance Square Plaza